Reactions involving the catalyzed dimerization of C.sub.4 and C.sub.5 dienes in the presence of alcohols to form the corresponding ethers are known. One such method involving the preparation of lower alkyl ethers is set out in Takahasi, Tetrahedron Letters, P. 2451 (1967). U.S. Pat. No. 3,670,032 also discloses that both unsaturated alcohols and unsaturated ethers can be formed through the catalyzed dimerization of conjugated aliphatic type diolefins in the presence of water or a lower alkyl alcohol or mixtures thereof.
While treatment of alcohols or amines with dienes is known, it is believed that heretofore there is no reference to the catalytic addition of C.sub.4 and C.sub.5 dienes to amino alcohols. More particularly, there is no known procedure to selectively alkylate the amino function of an amino alcohol of the type set out hereinafter.